Nearly a third of election candidates are women, up slightly from 2008

An advocacy group says there are 407 women candidates registered for the May 2 federal election representing 31 per cent of all those running for seats in Parliament.

Equal Voice, a non-aligned, non-profit group promoting women candidates, says that’s a two-point increase from the 2008 election, when 29 per cent of major-party candidates were women.

The New Democrats are fielding the most women — 125 in all, or nearly 41 per cent of all their candidates.

Equal Voice says that’s the highest percentage of women fielded by a political party in Canada’s history.

The Bloc Quebecois has beaten its own record by running 24 of 75 candidates, or 32 per cent of its roster — four points more than in the last election.

The Liberals are fielding 92 women among its 308 candidates, or 30 per cent — down from 37 per cent last time out — while the Conservative campaign roster is 22 per cent women, up two points.

The Greens have 98 women candidates campaigning, or 32 per cent.

“Equal Voice is pleased to see that there has been some overall improvement in the numbers of women running,” said Donna Dasko, the group’s national chair. “We know that the vast majority of Canadians want the opportunity to vote for more women.

“This election will give some of them that chance.”

In 2009, Equal Voice urged major party leaders to boost the numbers of women they would nominate in the next federal election. All agreed, though the group says it is clear the smaller parties have fared better, particularly the New Democrats.

“They have set a new bar in Canada,” Dasko said in a release.

“Their success underscores the fact that when parties work hard to reach out to women as potential candidates, women will rise to the challenge.”

However Equal Voice says fewer women are running in what it considers winnable ridings. Only the Bloc Quebecois is filling more than a third (36 per cent) of its winnable ridings with women candidates.

The New Democratic Party is second with 31 per cent women in winnable ridings. Female candidates are on the ballot of 27 per cent of the Liberals’ winnable ridings, while the Conservatives are running women in 20 per cent of their most winnable seats.

The group says Canada ranks 52nd in the world in women’s representation in politics.